Martins bill would establish state worker ‘benefit fee’ (updated)

Sen. Jack Martins has introduced a bill that would hit state workers with a “Government Employee Benefit Fee” on health care, education, parking, day care and any other “non-wage benefit” derived from public employment. The fee would not exceed 5 percent of an employee’s gross wages.

The bill’s introductory language makes it clear that Martins sees caps on employee benefits as the third leg of a stool also supported by a property tax cap and mandate relief:

The legislature hereby finds and determines that real property taxes in New York state are too high, and that the burden that they place upon our citizens, homeowners and businesses, is making it difficult for New York state to thrive, prosper and succeed. The legislature further finds and determines that the only way to realistically reduce the real property tax burden upon our citizens, homeowners and businesses, is to place a comprehensive approach in state law which controls costs and spending for local governments, and provides significant mandate relief with respect to their fiscal obligations.

The fund, which would be overseen by the Comptroller and the president of the Civil Service Commission, would be used to pay for those “non-wage benefits.”

The bill is part of a triptych — all share the language above — introduced by Martins to control state workers’ benefits: Another would allow localities to establish the benefit fee; the third would require localities to calculate and report the effect that any collective bargaining agreement that contains an increase in benefits would have on its property tax levy.

Martins, of course, could write a bill requiring the Department of Transportation to provide all New Yorkers over age 21 with their own muscle car, but that doesn’t mean it will happen.

CSEA spokesman Stephen Madarasz said the union was preparing memos of opposition to all three bills. “They might not even be legal,” he said, arguing that they touch on issues better handled during collective bargaining.

Martins’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Update: A second call to Martins’ office resulted in a conversation with spokesman Joe Rizza, who said that the two bills related to the idea of a benefit fee had been pulled from next week’s committee agenda, although both remain live bills.